The Magic Forest

Name and Purpose

The Magic Forest is a participatory storytelling game that builds listening skills, group coordination, and joyful silliness.
Players are assigned roles tied to keywords in a story. Each time their keyword is read aloud, they perform a sound and action.

a.k.a.

Age / Group / Time / Space

Materials

Printed or digital copy of the story for the reader
Optional: role assignment cards (reusable index cards with role names written on them)

Quick-Run Card

Setup and Boundaries

How to Play

The reader (staff or a confident camper) introduces the game: “I am going to read a story. Each of you will have a role. Every time you hear your word, you do your sound and action.”
Assign roles. For large groups, assign pairs or small groups to each keyword. Roles and cues:
- MAGIC FOREST: Stand up, turn around, clap hands
- FAIRY QUEEN: Say “Your Majesty,” stand and bow
- BROWN OWL: “Hoot Hoot”
- MOSS: “Fairy Carpet”
- WATER: “Ripple Ripple”
- ANIMALS: Choose an animal and make its sound
- BERRIES: “Yum Yum”
- BIRDS: “Tweet Tweet”
- TOADSTOOLS: “Fairy Magic”
- LAUGH: “Ho Ho”
- LEAVES: “Rustle Rustle”
- EVERGREENS: “Creak Creak”
Practise once: reader calls out each keyword, and the assigned group performs their cue.
Reader reads the story at a steady pace, pausing slightly after each keyword to let the group respond.
Encourage the group to stay alert. Keywords come faster toward the end of the story.
After the story ends, acknowledge the group’s performance with applause or a cheer.

I-OPt Options

A (Active): Take a role with a standing action (Magic Forest, Fairy Queen) or a loud sound
S (Support): Help others remember their cues, lead the group cheer at the end
Q (Quiet): Take a role with a soft sound (Moss, Water), or share a role with a partner
O (Observer): Sit with the group and listen to the story. Join in on the group-wide “LAUGH” cue if comfortable, or simply enjoy the show

Inclusion Adaptations

Seated players can do all sounds and upper-body actions from their chair
Players who prefer not to speak can do an action-only version of their cue (e.g., wave hands for “Ripple Ripple”)

Stewardship Moment

“This story is set in a forest. What is one thing we can do to take care of the real forests and green spaces around us?”
If role cards were used, collect and store them for reuse.

Consent

Pre-brief: “This game involves making sounds and small actions when your word is read. For those not comfortable with a big role, quieter roles like Moss or Water are available. You can also just listen and enjoy.”
Mid-game check: The reader can pause halfway and do a quick thumbs check.
Opt-out/re-entry: Anyone can set down their role card and listen. Pick it back up anytime to rejoin.

Risks and Mitigation

Players standing and turning for “Magic Forest” cue in a crowded space: ensure enough room or modify to a seated clap-and-spin gesture
Story’s moral about laughing at others in trouble: use the debrief to discuss empathy, not shame. Frame it as “the story helps us think about when laughter helps and when it does not”
Some keywords appear very frequently (LAUGH, LEAVES): warn those groups that they will be busy, and offer to share the role among multiple players

Warm-Up Suggestions

“Sound check”: go around the circle and have each person make their sound and action once
“Story conductor”: staff points at different groups randomly, and they do their cue. Gets everyone warmed up and laughing

Debrief Questions

What? “What was it like to listen for your word and react quickly?”
So What? “The story has a message about laughing. What do you think it is trying to say?”
Now What? “When have you seen someone laugh at the wrong moment? How did it feel, and what could be done differently?”

Cleanup and Reset